Alter Egos
by ilymooody
Summary: Katara has a distinct disliking for the newest member of the gaang. She despises Zuko. However, she doesn't despise the mysterious man who has helped her in so many ways before - the Blue Spirit. Every night, she secretly meets up with him as the Painted Lady. In fact, Katara has developed a maybe sorta crush on him. Strangely. (Zutara)
1. Chapter 1

**hi guys!**

 **So this is my first fanfiction, which means a lot of mistakes will be made and it might be a little cringe at first...but bare with me! Anyways, here's the first chapter of Alter Egos. Feel free to leave critics or questions!**

 **(For the convenience of the plot, pretend that aang does not know the identity of the blue spirit, and the gaang doesn't know who the painted lady is.)**

 ** _Alter_** _ **Egos**_

Katara was _furious._

There was no other emotion to describe what she was feeling right now. The whole group strangely seemed to _trust_ Zuko. They called her cold-hearted for not believing his magical switch to the good side. They thought _she_ was being the ridiculous one.

As if.

She needed to get away from this stupid camp. She was going insane. She couldn't stand the way they all buddied up to him, just because he saved them from the assassin that HE hired. Good Zuko: 1. Bad Zuko: 198724384898237498.

Katara took a deep breath in. She knew what she needed. If her own problems were unfixable, then she would help other people with theirs. She grabbed her hat and her face paint and began to walk down the hills to the nearest town.

(-)(-)(-)

Zuko was upset.

He knew it was his fault. Katara didn't trust him, and that was fine, but she at least could pretend he was human. After all, he did just save her from being crushed by falling boulders. AKA, if he hadn't saved Katara, she wouldn't even be here, and there wouldn't be a Katara to be mad at him.

Zuko took a deep breath in and out. He needed to find a way to prove himself worthy. Not tonight, she was already upset and extremely cross with him. Tonight he needed to escape. He needed to get away from his problems, and maybe help other people out. Or maybe he could steal an Ostrich-horse.

Zuko didn't waste any time in grabbing the black body suit and the very distinctive blue mask.

(-)(-)(-)

 **Just a little intro into the story hehehhheee.**

 **This is not what an average chapter will look like, new chapters will be much longer. I just wanted to dive into the idea first, to see if I liked where this was going. Updates on this story will be very sporadic (oops), so dont expect a set schedule. Leave as much critics as you like and make sure you review to boost my oh so big ego. I love you all!**

 **-mooody**


	2. Chapter 2

**Why hellloooo there.**

 **So this chapter will be a lot longer then the previous one (as mentioned in the A/N) and we will be getting some hints of zutara...hehehe. Again, sorry with the sporadic updates :/. And a reminder: for the purpose of the plot, nobody knows about the two spirits true identities.**

 ** _Alter Egos - Chapter 2_**

The Painter Lady ran walked calmly through the streets of the nearest town, ears keen to hear any disruption of the calm breeze. Occasionally, she would hear the sound of a baby cry, but a simple gaze into the window would make the baby stop. Huh. Maybe she did have more power then she thought. Katara had simply been going through the motions tonight,There had been no "real" problem for her to solve in the village, but her presence here definitely comforted the villagers. This wasn't her home village, or, _the Painted Lady's_ home village, But she was determined to help out in any way she could. The legend of the Painted Lady had spread far and wide, so these villagers still knew who she was and respected her. If only she got this respect from certain members of the Gaang.

After she relieved a man of a minor cough, she heard a distinct yelp coming from a back alley way. This was her first time in the poorer area of the village, so she didn't exactly know where she was going. Katara followed the sound to behind a fire nation guard tower. There she saw five fire nation soldiers beating up...a man? The man was dressed in a black bodysuit, with black baggy pants. He had two swords strapped across his back, and he wore a hideous blue mask. Katara knew this man. The Blue Spirit.

The Blue Spirit was holding his own against the soldiers, but five was too many for anyone, even him. Katara summoned water from her water skin and slammed a man against a wall. The Blue Spirit turned around in surprise, but simply nodded his head when he saw the Painted Lady. The man was slumped unconscious against the alley wall. Katara felt bad for a moment, but then re-assured herself. _This man is Firenation. He deserves this._ The Blue Spirit jumped, then hit another soldier on the head with the blunt side of his sword. Then he whipped out the matching weapon as two of the soldiers came at him. He dodged the fire with inhumane speed, the kicked one of the soldiers in the head. Meanwhile, one of the three guards was walking toward Katara.

Obviously he was scared. No one could remain a state of normality in the face of not one, but _two_ "spirits" that were insanely good at combat. He reluctantly brought up his fists and sent a fire ball at Katara. She easily flipped through the air and dodged. This battle would be a piece of cake. She had spent enough time running from Zuko to be trained enough in dodging fire. Katara rolled her eyes at the thought. Even if they were "friends" now, nothing could redeem him from what he's done. He was still the enemy. He would definitely betray her, and Aang, and everyo...

Katara was brought out of her thoughts as the soldier came at her. Maybe he had recovered from the shock, or maybe adrenaline was pushing him on. He ran at her with fire in his hands and shot the flames at her. Katara was caught by surprise, and one of the fire balls grazed her arm. She let out a yelp from the pain. The Blue Spirit whipped his head around, but she shook her head. She didn't need help. She could handle this. She used water to loop the guard's wrists, then froze them together. Then she used a water whip to hit him in the head and knock him unconscious. 4 down, one to go.

The man was cornered by the two spirits. If "scared out of your mind" was a painting, Katara figured that this man would be the perfect model. He took a fighting stance, and then promptly fainted. The whole situation was quite hilarious, in fact. Katara would have to make sure to go and write this down in her "diary" of sorts. She figured that ten years later she could get a good laugh out of this. The Blue Spirit next to her even found it quite hilarious. She heard him snicker about from under his mask. He turned to her to say something, but then raised his head to look behind her.

"Look out!" He cried as he pushed her to the side. Katara turned to see one of the soldiers firing a stream of fire in her direction. The Blue Spirit put his hands out in front of him and braced himself.

"What are you doi-" Katara stopped mid-sentence as she saw him dispel the fire ball. _A firebender. The Blue Spirit is a firebender. The Firenation's most wanted bandit is one of their own._ Katara was in disbelief. Why would someone of the Firenation turn against them? Well, besides all the obvious reasons...but didn't everyone in the Firenation believe in this war? She had only met one who didn't...well, three now, counting Zuko and Iroh. Katara still couldn't believe her eyes. Apparently the soldier couldn't either.

"You're...you're a f-fire-bender?" The man was frozen. Katara could see how. A master swordsman was one thing, but a _firebending_ swordsman was another matter entirely. The soldier scooted back until he hit the wall. "Please...I won't say anything! I-I swear!"

The Blue Spirit leaned in next to the man's ear. He had his sword positioned against the soldier's throat, ready to strike.

"Not a word," the Spirit said before knocking the guard out. Then he turned his head around to face Katara. "And I trust you won't speak of this either?" His voice was course and masculine, and Katara's heart annoyingly started to beat a little faster.

"Why would I sell out _such_ an interesting secret? I must know your intentions to turn against your homeland," Katara said teasingy. "And we can't have a great companion getting caught. Now that wouldn't be convenient, would it"

(-)(-)(-)

Zuko frowned beneath his mask. He didn't trust the Painted Lady fully yet. He had definitely heard rumors and stories about her, but he easily guessed the truth - she wasn't a spirit. Like him, she was going under an alias for whatever personal reason she needed. Having an alter ego was definitely convenient, but if your identity got out, could be painstakingly difficult to deal with. Which was why he was so angry with himself for firebending. He knew he couldn't help it; he would've been burned badly if he hadn't. Still, Zuko's way of dealing with his mistakes was to let guilt over-run him and think about how he could've handled the situation differently. He found himself practicing this method a lot. Huh.

Zuko reached down to pick up one of his dao swords, the automatically winced. _Dammit. I burned my hands._ The injury wasn't bad enough to set him back, but would definitely take time to heal. He couldn't ask Katara; she would question him on end of how he got it. _If she even agreed to heal it,_ he though warily. She still hated him, with good reason of course, but she wouldn't let him redeem himself. No matter what he did. The Painted Lady had obviously noticed his hands. She looked a little guilty, like it was her fault. Zuko didn't really care. His face was burned and wouldn't heal. His hands could live.

"Your hands...they need healing," she said with a face full of worry.

"Zuko shrugged. "I'm fine. Really."

The look on her face was between rolling her eyes and crying. "Obviously you aren't genius. Now give me your hands." Zuko reluctantly gave her his hands. Her skin was smooth, and he felt his face turn a soft shade of red when she held his hand gently. _Get a grip Zuko,_ he could hear hmself chiding. _You're not about to go "teenage boy" mode in the middle of a war._

The Painted Lady took his hand and brushed some water over it. She closed her eyes to concentrate. His hand started glowing, and a cooling sensation rippled throughout his body. Zuko felt like curling up there and taking a nap. The pain from his hand was suddenly gone. He looked up at the mysterious "spirit" to see her gently release his hand. She gave him a soft smile.

"You should take it easy with your hands for a little while. You might feel a little pain every once in a while, but they'll be okay and they won't scar."

 _Great. I won't have a scar on my hands, just a massive one on my face. Aren't I the luckiest duck in the pond._

"Thank you. Your assistance was appreciated greatly. Don't get too caught up in that disguise though, _spirit._ " Zuko smiled a bit as he teased the Painted Lady. She looked at him with a "is that a challenge?" expression. Why yes, it is. Who could figure out the other's secrets first? This meeting would undeniably be the start of something very interesting.

"Bring it on masked man. I'll find out who you really are in no time. It's been a pleasure saving your ass," she retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She turned away and started walking.

"Oh, It's on."

(-)(-)(-)

 **aaaaand there is the second chapter of alter egos! some zutara will definitely start kicking in next chapter...anyways, leave reviews, follow, like, and favorite! Leave some ideas of what you want me to add to this story!**

 **ps: I might have a certain sneaky earth bender figure out some secrets and start playing cupid soon... ;)**

 **Love you all!**

 **-mooody**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hellllooooooo everyone!**

 **Thank you for the reviews! You don't even know how good it feels to get the email saying someone has reviewed! It seriously makes authors feel appreciated. (Plus, you can give me feedback and ideas :) )**

 **(for the purpose of the plot, no one knows the identity of the two spirits (that will change shortly hue hue hue) )**

 **(plus I added one more day between the western air temple and the southern raiders for the spirits to have a time to meet. Southern raiders will still happen in this fic!)**

 **Without further ado, chapter 3 of alter egos!**

 _ **Alter Egos - chapter 3**_

Katara felt like she was trampled by a herd of ostrich horses. She wanted to melt into a puddle and never reform. _That's_ how exhausted she was feeling. On a scale of 1 - 10 of misery, Katara was easily at a 20.

Normally all-nighters didn't make her feel this way, but healing people and fighting, (plus not getting any sleep the night before because she was to angry at a certain firebender) wore her out. she was ready to die. So when Zuko woke up, she didn't even make fun of him. Even though his hair was sort of everywhere, and one side was weirdly spiked up. Katara thought it was adorable actually.

Wait...no. She did not think that. Man, she must have _really_ underestimated what no sleep could do to her. _Zuko and adorable don't go together at all. Never. Never in a hundred million years._

Katara sighed as she wearily made breakfast for everyone. This would be a long day. She couldn't wait for tonight.

 _Tonight._ Katara sighed in anticipation as she thought of meeting the Blue Spirit. Then she frowned. Exactly _why_ was she excited? To see him again? To figure out his identity? To get to know him better?

 _Maybe you have a crush on him._

Katara mentally slapped her conscious. No. Definitely not. She was not simple-minded enough to be attracted to someone she just met yesterday. She doesn't even know what he looks like. Maybe he isn't male at all! _Don't be stupid. You saw those biceps._

Katara wanted to scream. She was not about to go crazy about the Blue Spirit. She _seriously_ needed to take a nap to refresh her mind.

(-)(-)(-)

Zuko wondered if he was dead.

The first night he barely slept was when he burned Toph's feet; he was to busy beating himself up and going on a guilt trip to get any winks. The second night he didn't get any sleep was when he was accepted to the Avatar's group, and was too ecstatic about finally having a place to belong (and paranoid about Katara's warning). And finally, he didn't get any sleep last night because he was too busy flirting with the Painted Lady.

Zuko smirked. Yes, that was definitely flirting. Maybe Zuko was better at getting girls then he thought he was.

Did he seriously just think that? _She's a SPIRIT for Agni's sake. Get a grip dumbass._

Back to the point, Zuko felt and probably looked like shit.

He walked out of his tent and into the small campfire area the group had created. Everyone seemed more lighthearted, strangely. Maybe it was because they escaped Azula, or that they finally had a firebending teacher to teach Aang. Whatever it was, Zuko was glad. At least they weren't treating him like dirt on their shoes. Speaking of, even _Katara_ acted pleasant to him. That was definitely new. She was in a strangely good mood. Zuko didn't want to ruin it.

Katara oddly reminded him of the Painted Lady in some ways. They both had a little sassy side to them, as well as a totally bad-ass side that could take on 3 soldiers at once. If they ever met, he was sure they'd be the best of friends. Zuko smiled at that thought. _One hates me, and the other one wants to figure out all my secrets._ And that was where the two girls were different - Katara despised Zuko, and the spirit seemed oddly infatuated with him.

Zuko let his lips curl up a bit at the fact that he would meet her again tonight. He would definitely win this challenge. Zuko was a little _too_ good at stalking and figuring someone out. Of course, not as good as Azula, but still pretty good. Manipulating people must run in the family.

After breakfast, everyone went back to doing their own thing. That was when Zuko was approached by Toph.

"So Sparky, how was last night with a certain lady?" The tiny earthbender gave Zuko a smirk. _She knew. How does she know? No one has ever seen the Blue Spirit mask! How could Toph find out?_

Zuko's heart was beating wildly. He managed to calm himself down, then did his go-to move when asked about something. Deny.

"Toph, I have no idea what you're talking about," Zuko spit out with a straight face on. He knew he was a terrible liar.

"Oh come on Sparky, I know when you're lying. Don't even deny that you and Katara had sex last night," she said as she rolled her milky eyes.

 _Now_ Zuko was confused. He didn't even blush at first, he was just shocked. _How the living HELL did she come to that conclusion?_ Then, once he realized what she was implying, now that's when the furious red color burst onto his pale cheeks. He and Katara? Together? Maybe Toph wasn't just blind, she was _insane._

"WHAT? N-No! That would never happen! She hates me!" Zuko started rambling his stream of denials. Had she told everyone else? Did they believe it? Did she believe him? Has she talked to _Katara_ about this?

Toph sighed. "Unfortunately, you're telling the truth right now. I was sure you two were a thing. And for the record Zuko, hate-sex is the best sex."

Zuko looked at her like she had died and come back alive. "Toph, you're 13. Shut up. And why _exactly_ do you think that me and Katara...well you know."

"I stayed awake for a while last night. I felt you and Katara leave camp close to each other. Then I fell asleep. I assumed you had a bit of _fun_ in the woods," she stated. Zuko shook his head. She had felt him leaving for the town, and Katara was probably taking a walk.

"Nothing happened. I didn't even see her last night. She hates me. And _nobody_ will hear about this...incident." Zuko said with a samll smile. Toph simply laughed.

"Whatever you say Sparky. Just remember that I'm rooting for you!"

What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean?

 **And there is chapter 3! Sorry if this was sorta a filler chapter...but some information in this chapter will definitely come into play later in the story. Plus, I wanted to establish some tension between the two before Southern Raiders, and also give a little insight on the friendship between Zuko and Toph ;)**

 **Next chapter will be at night time, which will feature the toast to Zuko, Zuko and Katara's argument, Zuko and Sokka's chat about their mom, and another interaction between the two spirits. Two chapters from now will feature the Southern Raiders ;))))) Get hyped yall!**

 **Leave your reviews, follow and favorite! Love you all!**

 **-mooody**


	4. Chapter 4

**Helllloooo all my beautiful readers!**

 **Thank you for all the reviews! I love you all so much :D!  
To Guest13: this takes place right after the western air temple, when they're camping out. This is right before the Vacation House setting.**

 **Check out my new Azula one-shot : _The Three Times Azula Cried_**

 **(for the purpose of the plot, no one knows the identity of the spirits)**

 **I dont own avatar!**

 **Here is chapter 4 :)**

 _ **Alter Egos - chapter 4**_

Katara went through the day as normal. Her former excitement about seeing the Blue Spirit was definitely dwindling, and being replaced with annoyance for the whole groups sudden "buddy" act with Zuko. He had been with them for what - two days now? Two days of pretending that he was on their side. She couldn't wait until he stabbed the group in the back. Then they would all see that she was right about him the whole time.

Except she knew down in her heart that he wouldn't betray them. Inside him, there was overflowing good. And for some reason, that annoyed her even more.

Katara knew she was just being stubborn - but he _deserves_ this. She couldn't forget Ba Sing Se. She almost healed his scar, and they could've been allies. He could've taken down Azula and the Dai Lee agents. She gave him a _chance_ , which was already more then he deserved. I mean, he chased them across the world for his father. She wondered what she was thinking back in Ba Sing Se. He surprised her with the fact about his mother. She shouldn't have fallen for that. It was a trap - and she walked right into it. But she _knew_ his pain for the first time. She felt what he was feeling. She could finally relate with Zuko.

Katara put her head in her knees. Thinking about Ba Sing Se made her think about Zuko, and his mom, which resulted in her thinking about her mom - which she wouldn't do. She was stronger then that. She knew she was. Katara sighed and walked over to the campfire. She would not let her emotions control her. She was better then that.

Everyone seemed in a great mood, but even that couldn't break from her thoughts. She sat down slowly and listened to everyone's muses. They were laughing about how the group finally felt complete. Zuko seemed in a good mood too. Smiling, laughing, the whole package. Katara noticed that he actually looked attractive when he wasn't scowling. Then she rolled her eyes. _I'm supposed to be pissed about him, not noticing his looks._

Someone made a comment about how "great" camping was and how it felt just like old times. The Zuko smiled as if this was the perfect opportunity for an annoying comment. Which he was about to say, she guessed.

"If you really wanted it to feel like old times, I could...chase you around?" He said with a smile. The whole group laughed at his stupid joke. Katara didn't find it amusing at all. Especially because those time when he "chased them around" almost cost them their lives.

"Ha ha." She said while looking at the ground. She saw Zuko giving her a sad look. Oh no. She didn't find his joke funny. Poor baby.

The whole group talked some more, but when Sokka offered a toast to Zuko, that's when she had it. She stormed off. She was _not_ toasting a man who had betrayed her trust, stole her mothers necklace, and just been a giant asshole in general. She walked all the way to a cliff sife and admired the scenery. It was calm, peaceful, perfect. She was alone with her thoughts. Until she heard the footsteps.

Katara was about to tell Sokka off. She certainly didn't expect Zuko. He was going on about trust and all that. Katara had enough. She told him what she truly thought. The face he was making simply broke her heart.

"Maybe you can take back Ba Sing Se single handedly! Or maybe, you could bring my mother back!" Katara shouted. She was close to tears now. She would _not_ let Zuko of all people see how cry. Never. So, doing what she does best - she marched away.

(-)(-)(-)

Zuko walked down to the tent that Sokka was staying in. He had a problem, and he knew that Sokka would be the only one with the answer. On his way there, he bumped into Suki headed in the same direction. Now he had a _really_ bad feeling about going into the tent.

Zuko pulled the tent flap open, and his mouth dropped. _Kill me. Let me burn my eyes out with my own fire._

There was Sokka, lying on the floor "seductively", awaiting for his Juliet to arrive. And Zuko, fortunately, wasn't his Juliet.

At that moment, Zuko decided that Suki was the bravest and kindest woman he knew for seeing Sokka put on this performance and still deciding that she wanted to have sex with him.

"Why hellloooo there~ Ss...zzzUKO!" Sokka turned to him and then quickly changed his position. "Ah...so what do you need?"

Zuko felt bad ruining the mood. He really did. But he figured that his relationship with Katara was more important than Sokka and Suki's "fun" night.

"I want you to tell me what happened to your mother."

 _Finally,_ Katara thought to herself. What she had been waiting for all night. The day seemed to drag on _forever._ But now was her time. She was determined to not let anything ruin this night.

Katara put on her makeup and costume and then raced to the town. She was excited. However when she reached town, a thought occurred in her head. They hadn't exactly designated a place to meet up. He could be anywhere, and she could spend the whole night looking for him. Katara sighed and then calmed herself down. He was smart. he would be in the place they first met. She could count on that.

Katara made her way to the alleyway behind the guard tower. She stealthily sneaked past the guards (one had a broken arm; she recognized him as the one she slammed against the wall) and ran into the alley. Her heart dropped when he wasn't there. Perhaps he wasn't coming. Maybe he didn't care. Or maybe she had overestimated his brightness.

Katara was scolding herself about getting excited when suddenly a man was behind her and a blade was wrapped around her throat. She yelped at first, but then broke out into a smile when she realized who he was.

"Someone was a little too excited to see me. I saw your face drop when I wasn't here princess. You're so readable," He said in his husky voice. It seemed weirdly familiar for some reason. She decided it was comforting.

"What can I say? You're quite the charmer, even if I don't know what you look like," Katara admitted. The Blue Spirit chuckled a bit.

"Hate to inform you, but now I have the upper hand. You are controlled by your emotions and get distracted when you're lost in your thoughts. Typical woman."

Katara elbowed him in the gut. He hunched over, and then she started laughing. She hadn't enjoyed anyone's company like this for a _long_ time. She liked it.

"Come on, Oh Great Spirit thee. Let's go find bad guys and beat them up"

After they had defeated some fire nation soldiers terrorizing a woman and her child, the Blue Spirit told her he would have to leave. He had a "big day" tomorrow or something. She sighed in disappointment; it had only been a few hours. But she smiled and saw him off. She needed some sleep too. Maybe getting a good night's rest could turn her mood around for the better.

Katara slept peacefully that night. She dreamed of the Blue Spirit, her winning the war, and strangely, Zuko. His face popped up in random scenes of her dreams, but it wasn't intrusive. It was...weirdly welcoming.

She woke up that morning with a smile on her face and a positive attitude. That is, until she saw Zuko outside sitting on a rock.

"You look terrible," she stated simply. Something to annoy him, to rile him up. She was mad that he ruined her great mood. He would probably get angry at her. She was ready to roll her eyes when the next sentence came out of his mouth.

"I know who killed your mother."

(-)(-)(-)

 **well that was intense. get ready for southernnnn raiderssss**

 **Once again, thanks to everyone who has reviewed! It truly means a lot. If you have any questions, ask and I'll respond.**

 **Review, Follow, and Favorite!**

 **Check out my new one-shot on Azula!  
Love you all!**

 **-mooody**


	5. Chapter 5

**why helloooo there.**

 **So something I've recently noticed - I've been adding dashes to differentiate the POV's (from katara's to zukos) and for some reason when i publish the chapter it disappears. Sooooo ill make a new method. Sorry if anyone got confused!**

 **also super sorry for how long it took to update this...writers block sucks man.**

 **I dont own ATLA  
Here is Chapter 5!**

 _ **Alter Egos - Chapter 5**_

Katara was empty. She just didn't know what to feel - anger? Hurt? Thankful? She had spent so long in her "I-hate-Zuko" mode that him coming to her and saying that he would help her find her mother's killer made her feel so much at once she couldn't handle it.

Katara didn't ask any questions at first. She simply told Aang that she needed Appa, and started getting the things she needed for the journey ready. Aang was making jokes about her taking a field trip with Zuko. Katara didn't find it funny.

She knew that Aang wasn't the one that deserved her anger, so she told him straight up - she was going to find her mother's killer. Aang was shocked, and then she felt bad at first - until he started going on and on about his stupid monk advice and how to live like the monks. Agh! Can't he understand? She _needed_ this. This wasn't about taking out a poor old man who couldn't defend himself. This was about closure.

Aang still wouldn't listen, and he wouldn't let her take Appa. Maybe he was right. But Katara didn't care. She was so angry right now - angry at Zuko, angry at her mother's killer, angry at Sokka, for not backing her up. She winced when she remembered what she said.

 _"Katara, she was my mother too!"_

 _"Well then you didn't love her like I loved her!"_

She didn't mean that. She knew that Sokka would do anything to make their family whole again. She just didn't have anyone to turn to in that moment, and she felt so alone. No one understood where she was coming from.

Except for Zuko.

So when he hiked up to the cliff-side looking for her, she didn't yell at him to go away, or make a rude comment. She let him sit right next to her, with both of their legs swinging over the edge.

"I packed the stuff we need for tonight. It's hidden behind the huge rock right next to Appa," he said without a hint of emotion on his face.

"Didn't you hear Aang? He won't give us permission to take Appa."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Katara, do you seriously think that I don't know that you're planning on taking him in the middle of the night?"

Huh. He was better then she thought he was. Katara frowned and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Why are you helping me? I've been cruel and horrible to you, and yet you're still here. I don't get it." She said, tilting her head slightly.

"Because I know what it's like to not get closure."

Katara looked at Zuko, and for the first time, she _really_ looked at him. His dark hair swept over his piercing golden in a messy, boyish way. His eyes were glossed over, sort of like he was distant, in another world even. A world of pain and suffering. Katara knew that world very well. She practically lived in it.

Katara gave Zuko a sad smile, and he returned it. She noticed for the first time how truly attractive he was. Now, she saw him in a completely different light. He was no longer her enemy, but an ally. Someone she could trust.

Oddly, she imagined that the Blue Spirit would look something like Zuko. She knew it was a ridiculous thought, and she almost laughed at the image of _him_ being the one she had flirted with oh so many times. But of course that couldn't be true. Their personalities were insanely different.

Finally Zuko pushed himself up, then offered her a hand.  
"Come on. It's time we get you some answers.

* * *

After they had broken into the communications tower, they made their way to Whale-Tail Island, which technically speaking, wasn't that far away.

However, when you're running on 5 hours of sleep, it seemed like _forever._

Zuko was actually thankful for the journey, as it gave him a chance to get a few winks. He couldn't remember the last time he got a "decent" sleep. Three days ago? more like Thirteen years ago.  
Zuko sighed and made a comfortable pillow out of his bedroll. He heard Katara start humming something before he drifted off into a comfortable sleep.

* * *

 _"Zuko, I love you more than anything. I hope you know that."_

 _His mother stood just behind him at the turtle duck pond. She was exactly as he remembered it. He smiled at her, a boyish smile only known to the Zuko before his mother left. She gave a small smile back, and he took time to indulge in her amber eyes and the way her left eye slightly rose when she smiled._

 _"Of course Mother!"_

* * *

Zuko woke up with a start. He hadn't had that dream in a long time. Since...how old? He must've been 12 at the least. He remembered having it every night, and most of the time, would wake up screaming. And he still couldn't discern - was it a happy dream? Or a nightmare?

Zuko heaved out a sigh. He would be seventeen in about a week. He wasn't the kid who cried about his mother being gone.

Speaking of mothers...  
Zuko fixed his gaze onto the headstrong Katara, still at Appa's head. She had been there for about 3 hours straight, not to mention not sleeping last night. Zuko felt bad. He had slept the whole time, and she was steering.

"You need some rest. You'll need your strength when we find him"

Katara scoffed.  
"Oh don't you worry about my strength. I'm not the helpless little girl I was when they came."

Zuko came down from the saddle and sat just behind her on Appa's head. She needed someone to talk too. He knew what that was like. Unfortunately for him, he never had someone like that. Mai even told him that she didn't care.

Katara told him what happened to her mother. It was awful, and he couldn't help the overflowing waves of the guilt that came over him. _His_ country to her. Even if it wasn't him directly, he still felt horrible. After she was done, he didn't say any empty words with no meaning. He chose his messages wisely.

"Your mother was a brave woman."

Katara gave him a slight smile to hide the tears in her eyes. And for some reason, that made his heart wrench.

* * *

Katara was glad that Zuko listened to her. She needed someone to understand. And he truly did. That's something they have in common - their dead mothers.

Katara didn't know what happened to Ursa. Although she was curious, she wasn't going to press the matter. She might not even be dead; and maybe that was the most awful thing. In Katara's case, she could accept what happened and move on. But Zuko had no idea what happened to his mother. She could be dead, or she could be somewhere out there. Zuko was helping her find closure, and yet, he didn't have any of his own.

Katara could see the outline of the island coming into view. She was glad. Even though she had played strong to Zuko, secretly, she was exhausted. She could feel her eyelids start to droop down, which definitely wasn't good. She couldn't fall asleep now.

"Zuko. Talk to me," She demanded.

"What?"

"I'm falling asleep. I need something to keep me awake, like a conversation."

"Well," Zuko said as he swept his hair back with his hand, "What do you want me to talk about?"

"How about your...," Katara was about to say mother, but she wouldn't press him. He would tell her in his own time.

"Your name," she decided, "Tell me what you name means."

Zuko looked surprised, but then slowly smiled.

"Heart of flames," he said with a smile. " 'Zu' means fire or flame; and 'ko' means heart."

Katara grinned. "Mine means 'Gem of the South'. Maybe not as cool as your fire-heart, but still pretty interesting if I do say so myself."

Zuko laughed, and Katara decided that she really liked it when he laughed. It gave him a sort of boyish charm, instead of 'im-super-serious-fire-prince'.

They had landed Appa, and Katara was ready to die of exhaustion. She barely noticed when she leaned her head back onto Zuko's chest and pulled a blanket over them. She snuggled her head on his shoulder, and placed her hand on his chest. She barely noticed when he put his arm around her and pulled her closer. She didn't take in the scent of fire-lilies that seemed to follow him around. She didn't even mind the way his breathing tickled her ear.

They fell asleep together in comfortable peace.

* * *

 **FINALLY DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER!**

 **I've had severe writing block and have just been busy in general lol...sorry again.  
** **Action with Yon Rha will be next chapter.**

 **Lovvvveee you all!**

 **-mooody**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hiya Everybody!  
This will be the last solely canon chapter before we can really start getting into the Painted Lady and Blue Spirit shenanigans. I just really wanted to get the Southern Raiders out of the way before we can start seriously getting into that whole shebang. Sorry! Next chapter will definitely have a lot of them.**

 **Guest13: You're literally one of my favorite people ever! Thank you for reviewing on every chapter so much! Your reviews make me so happy ;). And yes, i do know miraculous and i luxury cruise that love square so hard. I was definitely inspired by adrien/marinette's/lb/chatnoir's relationship. Perhaps i'll put more little nods to that in here :). And no, I was not aware that Zuko's and Katara's names really had definitions. Totally made that up. Thank you for telling me!**

 **Axel100: Thank you for your feedback on these chapters! Don't worry, you will get your Spirit interaction soon! It will still be a while before the two totally put things together, but they will definitely start having suspicions. I wasn't even thinking of using the masked ball, i totally agree with you on that. Bear with me, you'll get PaintedSpirit soon!**

 **okayyyyy, let's get on with the chapter!**

 _ **Alter Egos - Chapter 6**_

* * *

Katara didn't want to wake up.

She was off peacefully in a dream, until she was startled by something under her. Then a light moan, and a groan, and then the mysterious thing underneath her went back to sleep. She regretfully started to open her dreary eyes, and for a second, was very confused.

She could see palm trees, and she could feel a light breeze. There was a scent of lavender around her, and it wanted to make her fall back asleep. Where was she? Back at the camp? She wasn't really thinking that well, and at that moment she didn't care. She slowly closed her eyes again and fell off again into a light sleep.

 _Katara!_

She could see her mother, calling out to her.

 _Katara, help me!_

It wasn't comforting. Katara was scared.

 _Katara. Avenge me. Kill him._

Her mother didn't look like this. This women had black eyes, and hollowed out cheeks. Her hair was ratty, but she still looked like her mother. Katara started walking forward. She was almost there.

 _Katara._

 _Katara!_

"K...Kat...ara?" A rough and scraggly voice said from under her. She opened her eyes again, and looked up slightly. She was greeted with the glorious sight of morning-zuko. His hair was messy and displayed over his face like a mop, but then was slowly pulled back when his hand ran through his hair. He was squinting in a quite attractive way, and his lips were pulled down into a slight frown.

In other words, he looked damn hot.

Katara just realized what she just thought, then automatically cringed. Then she noticed her position, with her head comfortably rested on his chest, and his arm wrapped around her and settled on her waist. This was a very... _intimate_ position. Apparently, Zuko noticed the same time that she did, because they both scrambled away from each other, and Zuko almost fell off Appa.

"Um, I didn't mean to-," he started.

"This is my fault, I um-," She mumbled.

"No, I mean my arm was..."

"But I was the one that fell asleep on your chest! So...sorry," she lamely finished. If there was a list of the times Katara wished she could through herself from the top of an Air Temple into oblivion, this moment would definitely be at the top.

Zuko awkwardly nodded, then continued. "You were kinda, um, crying. That's why I woke you up. Sorry," he finished with a slight red tint on his pale cheeks. He then pointed to his left bicep, which had a _very_ big tear stain on it.

Katara stood corrected. This is the moment that she would definitely rank number one on her "I-want-to-crawl-in-a-whole-and-rot-there" list. Congrats, Zuko's tear stained shirt. You're the big winner!

"I..um...I was dreaming about an turtle-duck dying in front of its family and it was really sad so that's probably why I started crying and I didn't mean to ruin your shirt I'll waterbend the water out of it but I really didn't mean to and I'm really sor-"

"Woah. Katara. It's not that big of a deal," Zuko said with a chuckle. "It's water. It'll dry. Seriously. I don't even care."

Katara felt her cheeks rise up another shade of red. She probably looked like a tomato. This whole morning was a nightmare.

And then she remembered why they were there. Her mother's killer. The monster. She was here to get revenge. Katara's face darkened considerably, and Zuko followed suit. He knew when to be serious and put different matters aside.

"We should get going." He said with a dark look on his face.

"Yes. It's time Yon Rha gets what's coming for him"

* * *

Katara knew that Yon Rha was a monster. However, she didn't expect him to actually live a normal life.

He was almost like every other villager - except for the fact that he was a cold blooded murderer who deserved punishment.

She and Zuko had been watching him for about three hours now, and it was time to strike. Zuko had set up a trip wire, and Yon Rha kept sending looking behind him and calling out. He shot fire at a near by bush, which thankfully, we weren't it. Yon Rha kept walking, then got close to the trip wire. Katara took a deep breath in. It was now or never. She was facing her mother's killer in this moment.

"Do you know who I am?" Katara's voice was firm and authoritative. She was glaring holes into Yon Rha, who looked absolutely terrified.

Yon Rha's gave a small no and turned slightly away from Katara, as if he was afraid of looking at her.

"Oh you better remember me like your life depends on it! Why don't you take a closer look."

Yon Rha now searched her face, looking for any indication of who she is. His face took on a greater look of horror and understanding when he finally recognized her.

"Yes...Yes. You're the little water tribe girl from that day." He started to explain what happened after she left. How he wanted the last waterbender of the south, and how her mother took her place that day. Katara wanted to cry, but she wouldn't show weakness in front of the enemy.

"She lied to you. She was protected the last waterbender."

"What? Who?"

"ME!"

Katara stopped the rain and formed a bubble around the three of them. Then she took the water and made ice shards with them. She directed them at Yon Rha, and then let them go. They were flying towards him. He would be dead soon. He would be dead, and Katara would be murderer.

Katara would _murder_ this man who also had a family.

She stopped the ice at the very last second. Katara took a shaky breath in, then let it turn back into water and drop down on Yon Rha. She looked at him as he mumbled on about trading his mother as a sacrifice. All Katara saw was a pathetic excuse for a human being. He was sad and pitiful.

"...As much as I hate you...I just can't do it." She couldn't stand being here for any longer. Katara turned and walked away, with the sound of Zuko's footsteps following her.

* * *

Zuko sat on Appa's head steering while Katara got some well needed rest. He didn't even notice when she woke up, as he was almost dozing off himself. He did notice when she climbed closer to him and started talking.

"Do you want me to take over? You could use some rest too. You look like you're about to fall asleep, and I don't need Appa crash landing," she said with a grin.

Zuko smiled a bit back. "You drove the whole way here. It's only fair that I drive back. Just talk to me and I'll stay awake."

"Okay. Well I have a question. How did you get these black clothes?" She asked in confusion.

Zuko almost choked on his own spit. Most of the others only had one or two pairs of clothing, but Zuko magically managed to have two full black outfits. Two outfits that so-happened-to-match the Blue Spirit mask. Katara was borrowing his clothes, which happened to be a little to big on her.

"Um...I needed them for work back in Ba Sing Se." He quickly made up the crappy lie, but he hoped it would fool her.

Katara didn't say anything, but was just lost in thought. She wasn't asking him any more question, which was a plus. However, the silence was now awkward, and he needed to make conversation.

"I guess Aang will be proud of you," he said with no emotion.

"What about you? Are you okay with the outcome?" She asked him timidly.

"I would've been proud either way. It wasn't my mission, it was yours. Overall, you knew what you needed. Not me, not Aang, but you."

Katara gave him a small smile. Then she frowned again.

"Well I know that Aang wouldn't have been happy if I killed him," she said in a disheartening tone.

"Why do you care so much about what Aang thinks?" Zuko asked her. She looked genuinely confused by the question, and Zuko assumed that she was answering in her head. He already knew they had a thing, but she seemed so concerned about what Aang thought of her.

No one spoke until they got back to camp.

* * *

Katara was thinking hard about what Zuko had asked her. Why did she care so much?

Was it because he liked her? Was it because she liked him? Was it because he held her in this perfect image? She couldn't seem to answer the question.

So when Aang was saying how proud he was of her, she didn't really care. Her mind was on other things.

But when Zuko was standing in front of her, her thoughts suddenly dispersed, which was totally weird. Seriously brain, what's going on?

"I didn't forgive him though. I'll never forgive him."

Katara turned to Zuko and smiled warmly.

"But I am ready to forgive you."

She went in for a hug, and he gladly accepted. She felt warm in his arms, and understood how she slept so well last night. She was comfortable, and at ease. She wanted to stay there forever.

When they broke apart, she felt her heart droop a little. She walked away from the two boys and made her way to her tent with a good feeling about what was to come.

* * *

 **Aaaaaaand scene!**

 **I hope this chapter was fluffy enough for you guys. Next chapter there will be lots of spirit stuff, so get pumped.**

 **Review, follow, and favorite! I love you guys!**

 **-mooody**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ayye**

 **Hellloooo everyone! I'm super sleep deprived so there are likely to be a few errors...oops. Anyways, here's some spirit mumbo jumbo and a little Blutara...huehuehue**

 **to Guest13: tbh, I was actually thinking of doing a miraculous au. Not sure how many people would read it however. Thanks for catching my mistakes! I wrote this chapter the same day, and I'm not feeling too great. As you can see, my writing has suffered. It'll be a few chapters till one of them finds out who the other is...but I'll leave who figures it out first a secret...hue hue hue.**

 **Anyways, lets get on with the chapter!**

 _ **Alter Egos - Chapter 7**_

* * *

Katara was feeling great after a night's rest, and she couldn't be in a happier mood.

She had made amends with Zuko, and brought justice to her mother's killer. What could be wrong with life right now?

Besides the fact that the comet was rapidly approaching and that they could die in just weeks, life was just perfect.

Although, life could be just a bit greater if she could figure out a certain someone's secret identity. She thought she had figured out a few clues, but now she was doubting herself. Katara could've imagined the whole firebending incident too. It was late, and she couldn't exactly see clearly. Plus, his hands were burned. Firebenders don't normally burn their hands when they dispel fire. Since she wasn't certain about the Blue Spirit being a firebender, she was back to square one. He could literally be anybody.

Katara tried to discern people that she knew from him. It couldn't be Aang, their bodies didn't match at all. She _knew_ it wasn't Sokka, he couldn't get up in the middle of the night to save a life. However, she had thought long and hard about it being Zuko.

Zuko's body and the Blue Spirit's body were about the same. They were both tall, with lean but muscular bodies. They both had a nice set of abs that she had come to appreciate after watching so many firebending lessons when Zuko was shirtless...

Katara smacked herself. _Katara. Get a hold of yourself. Its Zuko, for La's sake. You two argue all the time._

However, Katara then concluded that no, Zuko was not the Blue Spirit.

For starters, Katara had never seen Zuko use swords. He probably didn't even know how. After all, he had his firebending, so what was the point of swords? Another reason is that his personality is _nothing_ like the Blue Spirits. Zuko is a hot-headed introvert who gets flustered easily, and has an infuriating way of annoying you even when he's not doing anything. The Blue Spirit is a narcissistic flirt, who annoyingly has a weird charm that draws you in. Seriously, the two couldn't be more different.

Katara sighed as she realized that she had absolutely _nothing_ on the Blue Spirit, aside from the fact that he _might_ be a firebender. Katara made it her goal to find out more tonight. However, she was quickly disappointed when she realized she had ran out of red paint, which was made from the fire berries. She remembered a bush near the other side of town. She cringed at the thought of walking through town at 12 at night, but she would have to make the trip eventually. Katara packed the rest of her Painted Lady ensemble in her bag, and then headed toward the edge of town.

* * *

The night air was cold and had a little breeze to it, which was exactly how Zuko liked it. He hopped from house to house, occasionally fighting a firenation guard or two. Every five minutes he would go and check the alleyway that the Painted Lady and him usually met up in, but she was nowhere to be found.

Zuko sighed in disappointment as he checked for the fourth time that night. He _had_ been gone for two days, so maybe she gave up on him coming, then decided to quit coming too. Zuko hoped that wasn't the case, but it was the most likely right now. He couldn't help but feel disappointed that the mysterious woman wasn't going to make an appearance. Zuko climbed back onto a roof, and just watched the night sky.

A movement in the streets caught his attention. He saw a young woman running warily through the streets. _There she is!_ But this woman didn't have the Painted Lady outfit on. No, she had a very familiar blue dress on. Zuko rolled his eyes when he realized that it was Katara, and not the woman he was looking for. Zuko sighed and rested his head down again.

Wait.

 _Katara?_

Zuko shot his head up again, and this time ran after her. Katara was running pretty quickly, but Zuko was fast. He easily caught up to her, and then jumped off the roof right in front of her.

"Well well well, what is a young lady like you doing running through the night alone?"

Katara gasped, and then smiled forcefully.

"The Blue Spirit! What an honor to finally meet you! I was just running some..errands."

"At 12 o'clock at night?" The Blue spirit smirked as her smile faltered. _Got her._

Katara frowned, then smiled once more. "Actually, I was going on a walk away from a place I was camping at. I kinda got lost, so I came her as a starting point."

Zuko rolled his eyes under his mask. He knew that wasn't what she was actually here for, but he doubted that she would tell him the truth anytime soon. Besides, he should probably stop talking to her before she realized it was him.

"Your camp is over in that direction," he said as he pointed east, "Its behind the huge boulder, and east of the river."

"Thanks..." Katara said as she turned around and left him alone. _Finally,_ he thought.

"Wait a minute..." she said still facing backwards.

Katara then spun around to look at him with a face of confusion.

"How do you know what direction my camp is in?"

 _Shit._

* * *

 **Sorry about how short this chapter is. I was definitely feeling some writers block, and I just wanted to get _something_ up for you guys, since I haven't updated in a while ;/.**

 **This scenario will continue onto the next chapter, so you will definitely have more Spirit stuff.**

 **ily all!**

 **-mooody**


	8. Chapter 8

**As for not updating in 3 months...I don't have an excuse.**

 **I used to get a real joy from writing this, but when I reached chapter 7, it started feeling like a chore. However, I'm glad to say the passion is coming back. So yea...let's just get into it.**

* * *

"I- um, well...I'm a crazy avatar fan! I know his every location at every time! And it's only right that I protect him from the dangers of this town after-all... ha ha ha..?" Zuko cringed hearing his own voice saying that sentence. A crazy avatar fan? She would totally call him out on his bullshit.

"Really? Well thank you for protecting our group in this shady town. I appreciate it greatly," she gave him a brief nod and curtly walked away.

 _Or not._

As miss-stick-up-her-ass walked away, it was obvious something was bothering her. Her hands, which would normally stay pressed to her hips, were glued tightly to the side of her thighs. She was walking at a slower pace then normal, obvious by the fact that her long hair wasn't swaying at the normal pace it did when she walked away. Instead of the annoyingly casual I'm-better-then-you walk, she seemed stiffer, as if she was pondering something heavy. This freaked Zuko out, because Katara was _not_ the type of person that would look into things, or even think things totally through for that matter. She was more of the and instinctive type, while completely opposite of her, Zuko was normally the over-thinker. This behavior was strange for her, and Zuko didn't like it. He didn't know what she was thinking, but he certainly didn't like it.

But in typical Zuko manner, he thought the worst. _She knows who I am_.

If Katara found out who he was, he would _never_ see the end of her fussing. She'd be doing routine checks every night to make sure Zuko was asleep. She obviously wouldn't trust him even more, (even though she forgave him), and worst of all, he would never see the Painted Lady again. No, Katara could _definitely_ not find out who he was.

Zuko bit his lip in frustration, but then released it as the gears in his mind started working. _Heh. Relate to her problems, and she'll never suspect._ The Blue Spirit ran as fast as he could into the side alley, then hurried into the main street area where Katara was headed.

* * *

Katara was puzzled.

The Blue Spirit knew the exact location her camp was in. She had spent enough time with him to know his excuse was a bullshit, but why would he lie? Obviously to protect his identity. Which means...

The Blue Spirit is someone in their group.

Her mind automatically drifted to one person, but she decided to leave his theory for last. _After all, ...it's the most probable._ Katara barely even thought about Aang. For one, too short, and he just didn't have the presence or masculinity that the Blue Spirit did. While Aang certainly had a boyish charm, the Blue Spirit set off more of a mature vibe.

Her brother was harder to rule out. Sokka was tall enough, fit the build, but _definitely_ not the personality. Even under a mask, she doubted her dear brother's wacky sense of humor wouldn't be quelled. And besides, once the boy is asleep, he's out. Sokka wouldn't sacrifice his precious hours of bliss for something like running around with a mystery girl playing dress up.

And then...Zuko. The one she didn't want to dwell on at all, but for some reason is certain that it's him. Tall enough, fits the build. Fits the mature and masculine vibes (she _really_ hated admitting that one; Zuko would never be mature in her mind) and also - he firebends. Assuming that whole thing wasn't a hallucination, that's pretty damning evidence against Zuko's case.

Katara had reached the main street area, when out of nowhere, the subject that had consumed her thoughts for the last few minutes randomly appeared. There he was, in all of his stupid glory, half naked with only a pair of black slacks on. _I'm not complaining but - what the actual fuck._

"Uh...Zuko?"

Zuko turned around surprisingly fast, as if he expected someone to be there. "Katara! There you are," he paused as if looking for the right words. "God, don't run off in the middle of the night like that." Zuko grunted and his face formed into a frown, in normal Zuko fashion.

Katara pursed her lips. Sure, they had made up and everything but...it was still strange for Zuko to be worried about her. Sokka, Aang or Toph she'd understand...well, not Toph, but the other two boys would come quickly. Suki would also be the one to come in her times of trouble...but Zuko?

Zuko scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I um, I woke up. I noticed you were gone. None of the others were awake, and I didn't think it was so important as to wake them," He said as if reading her thoughts.

Katara glared at him. "Wow, thanks Zuko. So glad to know my sudden disappearance isn't that important."

Zuko scrunched his eyebrows together. "I didn't mean it like that. And besides, I found you, so it doesn't matter anyway."

After that there was a long silence, which quickly got awkward after considering the fact that Zuko was shirtless.

"Anyways, I'm gonna explore the town some more. I'll head back later, so go back to sleep." Katara's eyes skimmed down to his toned chest. "And...put on a shirt."

Zuko fought a blush as he scoffed and walked away. Before leaving completely, he called out to her.

"Just be careful Katara. Apparently a masked firebender is running around this town." Zuko's voice got rougher as he talked about the 'mysterious man'. "I don't like the sounds of that."

"You never know. The firebender could be friendly."

Zuko raised his eyebrows. "You should know just as well as I do that firebenders aren't the... _friendly_ type. If you see him, wake us up." With that, he turned and walked away.

Katara threw away the warning with little thought. However, the thing that stuck with her was _who_ Zuko was warning her about. The Blue Spirit.

Why would Zuko warn Katara about himself?

Which means, Zuko is just as wary about the Blue Spirit as she would be (if she didn't know him as the Painted Lady). Which means, Zuko can't be the Blue Spirit. Which means, she's back as square one.

 _Great._

 _Just great._

* * *

 **Hope that satisfied your Zutara-craving hearts for now. But seriously. I'm really sorry.**

 **Even though I warned you that updates would be sporadic, I didn't intend to be gone that long. Sorrrryryyyyyyyy**

 **Hopefully more to come soon :)**

 **-ilymooody**


	9. Chapter 9

**Welp, back on the updates.**

 **As nice as a 3 month break was, I realized how much I missed writing. But what I missed most was getting the feedback from you guys! You're too sweet!**

 **Jackieee.98: Aw thank you! You have no idea how happy that made me :)**

 **25Carin: Updates will definitely be longer in new chapters, I just couldn't wait to get something out for you guys!**

 **pearlynlsw: Thank you! Glad to say your wait is over ;)**

* * *

 _DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMM-_

She was _so damn close._

All the evidence pointed to Zuko. Everything she could possibly think of pointed toward the angsty, grumpy firebender.

But life just _HAD_ to screw Katara over, and she was back at the start. Of course, there was always the theory that Zuko was trying to throw Katara off his trail, but Katara knew that was just her holding onto false hope.

Maybe another firebender that had Zuko's exact build and secret sense of humor _did_ exist. Of course, they would also have to have good morals, which was the part that Katara just couldn't believe.

Katara had been so convinced that the blue spirit was Zuko, well, when it wasn't...she was actually disappointed.

But not because she liked him or anything.

Because her liking Zuko was _impossible._

* * *

Katara had gathered the berries she needed and was home at camp. She had been a dangerously close eye on a certain firebender, but it seemed he was fast asleep. His hair was ruffled in a manner that Katara found...not displeasing, but it wasn't like she thought it was cute. Katara let out a frustrated sigh and turned away. Maybe the lack of sleep _was_ making her go insane. However, she wasn't going to sleep tonight.

Aang had decided that it was time for the group to finally move on. So, tonight would be her last night out with the Blue Spirit. She could sacrifice the lack of sleep just for one chance to find out who the Blue Spirit was. Katara looked down glumly as she realized that this was indeed the last time she would ever see him.

However, saving the whole world was a lot more important than finding out who mystery boy is.

Katara checked to make sure the others were fast asleep before retreating to her tent and putting on her makeup and eher costume. Katara stealthily poked her head out of her tent flap to ensure that everyone was still asleep. Or, more to ensure that _Zuko_ was still asleep. Fortunately, he was.

Katara was out of the camp faster then you could say gone.

* * *

Okay. "On a stroll" was definitely a little fishy. But now Katara was really pushing it.

First she lies, then she's stuffing her sleeping bag with hay, then she's sneaking out? Zuko has his suspicions about where she might be.

Or more importantly, _who_ she might be.

Zuko isn't stupid. And he knows Katara isn't either. No reasonable woman would take a walk at midnight in a shady town by herself. Katara's a lot smarter than that. Which means, she's hiding something. He intends to find that something out tonight.

As soon as Katara bolted, Zuko did too. He almost forgot his mask in the hurry.

 _Nice one Zuko. Announce that the Blue Spirit is here and then show up as Zuko. She'll really enjoy that surprise._

Assuming that Katara is the Painted Lady. Which he wasn't certain of. Zuko didn't like to assume things about people or situations. It just sets you up in a bad place for the future. He didn't want to get his hopes up that it's her, and then find out that he was wrong.

I mean, the only reason he would be disappointed is that his theory was wrong. It wasn't like he _wanted_ the Painted Lady to be her.

Zuko was lost in thought when he ran into a the very subject of those thoughts.

"Ow! What the hell do you think you're- oh, um, Blue Spirit. How nice to see you here," the Painted Lady nodded curtly before releasing a little sigh and looking anywhere but him.

Which Zuko found funny, because she couldn't even look at his face anyways. He was wearing a _mask_ , for Agni's sake.

And wait. Was she _blushing?_

Zuko coughed loudly and gave a brief nod to the Painted Lady.

"Um, I heard there's some suspicious guys down near the harbor. Wanna check it out?" His offer eased some of the tension between them. The Painted Lady smiled and agreed.

"After you, my lady."

Her laugh was warm and hearty, and seemed to scare away the shadows hanging around the street. "My lady? Where'd you come up with that?"

"Your name literally has the word 'Lady' in it. I didn't have to think too hard."

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well, obviously. Thinking in general is a tough challenge for you. I'm surprised you were even to come up with at least that."

"Hey!"

And just like that, they were back into their normal pattern. Zuko knew tonight was the last night together, and he was determined to make the most of it.

After all, there was no way for him to know what would happen that awful night.

* * *

 **Okay, so a really short chapter.**

 **Seriously, I can't seem to think of anything decent to write. But anyways, I have a lot planned for next chapter, so look forward to that. (lol u better pray its not out like a year later)**

 **-mooody**


	10. Chapter 10

**lol hello whats up**

 **k im really excited for this chapter even though you all will _definitely_ hate me after this...**

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

The Blue spirit and the Painted lady ran side by side down the long winding road towards the firenations camp. After defeating some thugs, the soldiers had spotted them, and now were chasing them. Zuko knew he could easily outrun them, but he was more worried about the Painted Lady's safety.

Though, if his guess about he she was ended up being right, he really didn't have any reason to worry.

Although they were running, Zuko tried his best to peer under the hat that obscured her face. He could already tell she was gorgeous, with high cheekbones and a smile that could stop time. However, Katara never smiled at him (even though they were on "friendly" terms), and Zuko can never find the time to study her face.

Zuko tore his eyes off of his partner as they were reaching the camp. His plan was simple - run into the nearest alleyway, have the Painted Lady create a mist barrier, and attack in the screen. They wouldn't know what's coming.

Zuko grit his teeth when he was reminded of the last time he was in an alleyway. He dispelled the fire using his bending, but at the risk of giving away his identity. After all, there were literally three good fire benders in this world, and he wasn't fat or old. If the Painted Lady saw, it would be easy to figure out who he was.

"Hey Blue Spirit?"

Zuko was snapped out of his daze by the slightly winded voice. "Yea?"

Although running, The Painted Lady tilted her head his way in curiosity.

"Are you a bender?"

Zuko nearly tripped at the question.

How was he supposed to answer that? Of course, the obvious answer was to say he wasn't - it would avoid suspicion and not give anything away. But then again, Zuko was a terrible liar. His face gave away everything.

 _But you're wearing a mask, idiot._

Zuko cleared his throat (and almost choked; they were still running) and gave her a clear cut answer.

"No."

The Painted Lady pursed her lips together and continued running.

"Okay. I should probably tell you, this is the last night we'll be fighting together."

 _Because you're going to Ember Island with the gaang? Because your name begins with a KA and ends with a TARA?_

"Oh, really? Why?"

"I-um...I'm getting married," The Painted Lady spit out those last few words with a bit of a stutter.

Zuko turned his neck so quick he almost snapped it.

"What!? Um, I mean...cool. Good for you," Zuko let control of his emotions for a second but quickly became calm and collected again. The Painted Lady seemed upset with his response.

"Yep. A lifelong commitment. I'll never be with another guy again. How strange," her voice came out sounding irritated. What did she want?

"Hmm. That's nice."

The Painted Lady glared at Zuko with the scariest look he had ever seen. She breathed in and out, then attempted one last time.

"Isn't it sad that a romance that could've happened will never happen because a confession was never made?" The Painted Lady practically screamed at him.

Zuko honestly didn't understand why she was yelling at him. If anything, he should be yelling at her for rubbing that fact that they'll never be together because she's getting married in his face. Assuming it is Katara, he wouldn't even _want_ to be with her. After all, she hates his guts (even though he gave her closure and helped her against the Southern Raiders) and doesn't even spare him a smile and is annoying and constantly fights him about _everything_ and literally is the devil and -

"Hmm...yea, I guess that's pretty sad."

The Painted Lady finally snapped.

"DON'T YOU FEEL ANY KIND OF JEALOUSY OR SADNESS FOR THE FACT THAT I'M GETTING MARRIED?"

"What the hell do you mean? Of course I'm sad."

The Painted Lady looked up at him with bulging eyes and a happy look on her face. "Really? You are?"

Zuko looked at her straight in the eyes as he muttered his response.

"Yea, it'll be harder fighting crime without you around."

The Painted Lady looked at him with the blankest look on her face.

"I give up."

* * *

Zuko's plan has been going smoothly so far. They had taken out the first batch of soldiers behind them, but now a whole new troop was on their tail. He planned on using the same strategy as he had before. Normally, he would never do this, but the soldiers IQ seemed next to zero.

Zuko grabbed his partner and quickly pulled her into the nearest alleyway. She seemed to understand what was going on, so he gave her a brief nod and ran off into another alley. This alley was a dead end, but he expected that. When the soldiers "cornered" him, he turned around and wiped them out.

However, what he wasn't expecting was a scream from the other alley.

 _The Painted Lady!_

Zuko sprinted as fast as he could over to her alleyway. His worry was overcoming his sense of duty, and he could feel himself slipping into a dangerous state.

When he saw her, he almost started bending.

The Painted Lady was fighting off enemies on both sides of her. The alleyway that he had lead her to wasn't a dead end, so enemies were able to ambush her effectively. She was raising walls of water from the pouch on her side, but you could see that she was running out fast.

Zuko ran over to the alleyway and immediately took out soldiers on his side. Although he was there to help, they were still overpowered greatly.

"Blue Spirit! Hel-mmphh!"

Zuko turned to see the Painted Lady pushed up against the side alleyway with a soldier covering her mouth. The other men were surrounding her with an evil look on their faces. Zuko felt a strange fury rise up inside him as he pushed forward to protect her.

"Now let's see who you really are, mystery woman."

The men reached up and knocked off her hat revealing frightened wide, frightened, cerulean eyes. But they weren't looking at the men.

They were looking at him.

"The Avatar's bitch? Not surprising at all!"

"How funny. Now, for him."

The soldier's turned to him and brought out their swords. But Zuko couldn't be worried about that. He rushed forward towards the terrified girl with incredible speed, ignoring logic.

She screamed something about looking behind him, but he couldn't hear it.

After all, he was too distracted by the immense pain shooting through his stomach and the sword sticking out of his body.

He heard a woman's scream, and then a rush of water.

He heard himself mutter a name.

 _K...Katara..._

And then all he saw was black.

* * *

 **Well this chapter was kind of badly written and really sucky so im sorry oops.**

 **yikesssss**

 **-mooody**


	11. Chapter 11

**heyooooololol**

 **English has seriously been rouugghh guys...so sorry if these updates aren't as good :(((**

 **Thank you so muchh for all the reviews!**

 **Imagine forevermore: oops...sorry about that! I make a lot of typos (cause I write these at 3 in the morning oopssss) literally your comment brought a huge smile to my face! THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

 **25Carin: I literally adore you for staying with this story for so long...even through the brief hiatus lol! Your reviews always make me laugh and smile! Love you to death!**

 **on with the story...**

* * *

 _Chapter 11 - Alter Egos_

* * *

 _He was standing in an open field, watching from above._

 _Looking down, observing what was happening - all out war. Fire spread everywhere while soldiers stormed across villages and towns._

 _He saw his Uncle, protecting the kingdom he loved against the nation he called his homeland._

 _He saw Sokka, Suki, and Toph, taking out giant airships in an insane manner that only they could think of. It managed to bring a smile smile to his face._

 _He saw Aang, standing tall against Zuko's own father. The look of determination on his face only steeled Zuko's will that they would succeed._

 _He saw Katara, fighting against his sister. Azula was in a state of madness - hair everywhere, balance off, an insane look in her eye that screamed for help. It truly pained him to watch his sister's slow descent into insanity. It hurt that he wasn't there to stop it._

 _Katara fought evenly against the firebending prodigy, matching her blows with perfectly timed hits. But she started to struggle. Azula was prevailing. Katara slipped, and Azula saw her chance._

 _A bolt of lightning was sent straight into Katara's heart._

 _And Zuko wasn't there to stop it._

 _He supposed he was dead, which is why he wasn't fighting. The soldier's sword had entered his stomach, and he had bled out and died. But it was peaceful here. He wanted to stay._

 _A woman and a man walked up and stood next to him. He didn't need to look to see who they were._

 _"Zuko." His mother's voice rang out clear and strong. It was comforting, hearing her speak after all these years._

 _"Zuko, you can stay. You can be here with me forever, Zuko." It was tempting. Zuko didn't say anything back, only nodded as if acknowledging that the offer was made._

 _The other voice struck him out of his daze._

 _"Zuko."_

 _Zuko turned to face the man talking to him. He was tall, and radiated an aura of power that only few could possess. A massive dragon stood behind him, showing that the man was powerful enough to control such an agent beast._

 _"Yes, Grandfather Roku?"_

 _"You are a deciding factor in this world. Whatever you chose, it will affect the world either negatively or positively."_

 _The other offer was clear - return with Avatar Roku to reality, and live through the world there. But Zuko was tired of responsibilities. He was tired of war, and death, and misery. He wanted it to end. He turned towards his mother with hopeful eyes. She smiled back with a warm tone, and reached her hand out. He reached out to meet it._

 _But then he heard the crying._

 _It was painful and heart wrenching. They were ripping at his soul, begging him to change his mind. It grew louder and louder before it was unbearable._

 _Ursa gave her son a sad smile before lowering her hand. She knew that there was someone else who was Zuko's deciding factor._

 _Zuko turned towards the might Avatar and the majestic dragon before walking towards them._

 _The last thing he saw before he woke was a blinding light._

* * *

Her sobs were coming out in strangled gasps. The tears in her eyes prevented her from seeing correctly, and her hands trembled over the body of the Blue Spirit. Her bending was barely working, and the Blue Spirit was bleeding out faster and faster.

 _God Katara, why do you have to be so weak?_

Katara immediately regretted using all her spirit water back at Ba Sing Se. Then she felt horrible for thinking that, because then Aang wouldn't be alive.

However, Katara wasn't thinking about the world right now. At the moment, all she was thinking about was saving the man in front of her.

La, she didn't even _know_ who he was! Yet here she was, weak and pitiful, sobbing over someone who she has no idea about. She could be saving the Firelord, for La's sake.

She didn't know who he was.

But she could find out.

Katara warily eyed the mask as her hands skimmed the edges. Her fingers curled under the mask as she started tilting it to the side. She could see his strong jawline and resisted the urge to touch it. She started pulling further, skimming her fingers over his skin and watching as she got closer and closer to his eye. Her heart was pounding so fast, and she could the thumping in her ear. She was so close.

And then she stopped.

Was it okay to do this? To find out who he was without his permission? If this was her, would she be okay if he exposed her identity without her permission?

Katara breathed in slowly...and then moved her hand away. She knew this wasn't the right thing to do. Her curiosity was eating away at her, but she managed to control herself.

After all, if the Blue Spirit wanted his identity to be known to her, he would make it known. Katara assumed that she wasn't worthy of his trust yet. And that's fine. She didn't need his trust. After all, she wasn't looking to be friends, much less an actual _relationship!_ Hah! Imagine that! Her and the Blue Spirit...that was crazy.

Wasn't it?

Katara shook her head and put her hands back on his body and focused on healing it. That was dangerous. Thinking things like that has never done any good. God, she was starting to sound like Suki. And that was something she definitely couldn't afford. She was here to make a difference in the world, not make out with some stranger!

The Blue Spirit started to groan slightly. Katara's heart lept out of her chest and she immediately moved closer to his body. He was going to live. He had to. She couldn't do it all alone.

His eyes fluttered open. Katara's arms instinctively wrapped around his neck and without even noticing, her tears were running down her face. She buried her face into his neck, and sobbed.

* * *

"Kat- I mean.. uh...Painted Lady..?"

She drew back from him and immediately pulled her hat down. Zuko could see the slight blush on her cheeks, and inferred that she didn't mean to do that. It didn't mean anything.

"I'm sorry...I just...I didn't want you dying because of me," her voice was quiet and low, and she turned her head away from him.

"No it's okay...it was comforting.." his voice trailed off in a whisper.

She smiled slowly at him until she narrowed her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows. _Uh oh. What did I do?_

"Uh, Spirit boy...what did you say?"

"I said that it was comforting."

She drew back slightly but shook her head. "No, what you said before. Like when you woke up. You said something like Ka..."

 _Oh shit._

"No! I mean, I said uh... cut..?"

 _Agni, Azula was right. I'm actual shit at lying._

"I said cut! Like the big cut on my chest...you know, cause I was stabbed."

She didn't look convinced at all, but slightly nodded. "I was just confused, that's all. I don't know what a "Kat" is, after all," she warily eyed him but seemed more relaxed.

"Hey."

She brought her eyes and met the the black holes in the mask.

"Whoever you are, thank you so much. For healing me. You saved my life."

She smiled at me with genuine happiness behind her grin.

"Whoever you are, I'm glad you're living," her vocal chords were still clogged up with the mucus from crying, but all Zuko could think of is how perfect she was right now. What the hell was he thinking?

"I am too."

This was dangerous. She looked up at him with a look in her eyes that he couldn't explain. But he knew that this wasn't good.

No, this was very bad. He knew it and she did too.

But really, could they have avoided it?

Could he have avoided moving his mask slightly to the side, and propping up onto his elbows to bring his face closer to hers? Could she have avoided wrapping her fingers around the hair escaping his head cloth and putting her other hand on his chest? Could the intense fire burning between them been avoided?

Zuko smiled. No, this was bound to happen. It was fate, destiny if you will. And from the smile on her lips, she agreed.

So when he brought his lips up to hers, he didn't regret it at all.

And when she kissed him back, he could tell that nothing would be the same from now on.

* * *

 **so...**

 **yea..hiatus mooody back in the house BUT i did give you that ending so pls dont hate me thanks okay bye**


	12. Chapter 12

**what up lol**

 **I dont even know how many of you still read this lmao...ill continue just cause i want to see this finished haha. Also I realized i change format every chapter so that could be problematic lolloool**

 **anyways lets get into itt**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

* * *

 _Holy Shit._

 _I'm...I'm kissing the Blue Spirit._

 _IM KISSING THE BLUE SPIRIT KATARA WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU YOU DONT EVEN KNOW H-_

 _But somehow, I do know him. More then anyone else._

And although the rational part of her told her that she was insane, her emotional side seemed to know that this was what she had wanted. She wanted the feeling of her hands pulling the cap that covered his hair off, the feeling of her fingers running though his soft, jet black hair. She wanted the feeling of the tilted mask slightly grazing her cheek; the intense desire to reach out and pull it off. She had yearned for the heat rising inside of her to finally be released, for the intense passion of this moment to finally be realized. She had antagonized over the thought of never getting to experience this feeling of intensity that occurred whenever their lips touched. But it finally happened, and she truly, deeply wanted this.

 _If this is so wrong, why does it feel so right?_

Maybe this was fate all along. Tu and La's plan to finally lead her to "the one". Two vigilantes trying their best to make the world a better place. To solve the smaller problems, while trying to ignore the overall larger one. They were permanently connected now. It was as if destiny had always meant for them to end up together, and now, the goal has been completed.

The Blue Spirit's hands moved to her hips, and they separated for a brief moment. He was breathing hard, and she could tell he was torn right now.

"Don't stop," her voice was breathy, and she could practically hear the desperation in her voice. She had been starved for so long, and taking away the food after one taste was simply too cruel.

"I don't want to stop," his reply came in a low and husky tone. It sounded to familiar, but her mind was swarming with thoughts so she couldn't figure out who he sounded like. Ignoring all thoughts, she leaned in for another kiss. He returned it, but she could feel the hesitance.

"I never want to stop..."

 _So don't!_

The Blue Spirit kissed her passionately again. This was what she wanted. She needed this. This moment was her escape from reality, her mind choosing to wander away from everything going on and only focus on him. She leaned in again, beginning to wrap her arms around his neck and trying to deepen the kiss.

"...but I have to."

He grabbed her wrists tightly and looked her square in the face. Katara was forced away from his body, and now sat parallel to him. She could feel the shock on her face, so she quickly turned away from his eyes.

"That was wrong, and we both know it," the contrast in his voice from before to now startled her. It was a guilty tone, almost sad.

"Why can't it be right? We deserve this. More then anyone els-

"No. As long as we live in this time, in this world, in this era of war...I'm sorry. Our duty is to the world, not each other."

The tears were starting to fall from her eyes. She knew she couldn't hide the pain and betrayal on her face. Him saying this was confirming that it was a mistake. He didn't feel the way she felt. She was alone, again. She had eaten her fill and was sent out of the feast. How could she go on eating stale bread when she had tasted luxury steak fit for kings?

Maybe the worst part was knowing that he was right.

She was foolish for thinking that she could have her way, just _once._ How naive of her was it to think that they could just disappear from these problems and be together? Katara couldn't help but laugh. She was an idiot.

"It hurts that you're telling the truth."

The Blue Spirit ran a hand through his hair. "It wouldn't be fair to you anyways. We don't know who we really are, behind these personas."

"But maybe because we have these personas, we can be our true selves."

The Blue Spirit chuckled. "You're always contradicting me, aren't you?"

Katara gave him a sad smile and a nod.

"Whoever you are, just know I'm in love with you. And that wouldn't change if you told me your identity." Although she couldn't see his face, it was almost as if she sensed that he was smiling under that mask.

"The same goes for you. Although there's no use in telling you this, because you're getting married," she practically _heard_ the smirk that she was certain framed his lips.

"You know that was a lie."

"I know. I just like to tease you," they both laughed and looked at each other, but each of them new it was a sad reminder.

Katara looked at him intently. "I'm never gonna see you again, am I?" Strange enough, he almost seemed like he was going to contradict her statement. However, he relaxed and looked at her firmly.

"This is the last time. I'll miss everything about you."

Katara felt a single tear roll down her face. She didn't want to leave him. She wanted him to remember her forever.

"Actually...I have something to give you," Katara smiled and reached into her pouch. He obviously was confused, because what could she possibly give him? Water?

Katara pulled her hand out of her pouch and revealed a necklace.

The Blue Spirit was obviously shocked.

"Is that...a Water Tribe betrothal necklace?"

Katara smiled and nodded. "It was my late mothers. She gave it to me so I would remember and love her always. Now...I'm giving it to you.

She grabbed his hand and placed the gorgeously carved necklace into it. His fingers curled around it and he looked up at her.

"Thank you. I promise to cherish this and to never forget you," the tone of his voice was warm and comforting, and Katara still couldn't process the fact that she would never hear it again after this night.

She looked to the sky, which was starting to lighten. A reminder that this was goodbye. This was the final encounter. This was it.

Katara walked toward him and tilted his mask to the side. She placed a small kiss on his lips, and he wrapped her in his arms.

"I love you. Don't forget me."

"I won't. My lady...Goodbye."

"Farewell, my spirit."

* * *

 **lol i cried writing this**

 **dont worry...we'll see more of these two soooon...**

 **hehehehheehheheehhe ok goodbye pls review i need attention**

 **ps sry this was only one viewpoint bye**


	13. Chapter 13

**hi guys!**

 **I'm writing this one day after uploading the last chapter...so lets so how long this takes lol**

 **lets get to it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

* * *

"Katara, why are you so gloomy today? It's not like you," Aang's attempts to get Katara to smile had proved futile so far. No one had been able to figure out why she was in a depression, and she certainly wasn't keen on telling anybody. Aang had smiled, Sokka made jokes, Suki tried some "girl talk", Toph had rolled her eyes, and then Aand tried again and again and again.

Zuko hadn't made an attempt to crack her secret. Well, he didn't need too. He was already apart of it, and he absolutely hated himself because of it.

Honestly, what the _hell_ was he thinking? He practically manipulated her last night; she had no idea who he was, yet he already knew her identity. He kissed her knowing that she was Katara, but she kissed the Blue Spirit. She wasn't in love with _Zuko,_ she was in love with the Blue Spirit. They were two separate people in her mind, but Katara and the Painted Lady were the exact same. And although Zuko told himself it was wrong, he knew deep inside that he was already long gone.

Agni, he was so in love with her that it _hurt._

There was always a respect inside of him for her; the way she was so strong despite being thrown into this adventure at such a young age. She had almost no experience, yet she completely whipped his ass at the Northern Water tribe. She had such a strong will, and never relied on someone else to get her where she wanted to be. Ba Sing Se was when he really saw her for who she was. He was the enemy, yet she offered her precious power to heal him. He had a real emotional connection with her, not just eye contact from different sides of the battle. She was someone he could relate to, who understood him just as well as he understood himself. But the moment he truly fell was the Southern Raiders.

She wasn't a perfect human. She was like him; she craved revenge when she knew it was wrong, she wanted to fight for the ones she loved rather then let the trouble pass over. She was really the Painted Lady to a T (Zuko had a secret bet with himself; if the Painted Lady was someone other then Katara, he would be Toph's slave for life). She put herself in danger on purpose to protect others. They were one in the same, and he loved both sides endlessly.

He's never going to tell her. He promised to himself that he would never put her through that emotional pain. She was extremely partial and passive aggressive to one side of him, yet she loved the other. How would she feel if he was to reveal that it they were the same exact person? Betrayed? Hurt? Not to even mention that _he_ kissed her _knowing_ her identity. He purposely did that, then proceeded to reject her feelings and basically tell her that they couldn't be together. He had already fucked things up so much that there was no way he could fix it.

This was his fault. He manipulated her, rejected her, kept a secret from her, yet he still wanted her. Agni, maybe he really was a terrible person. He seemed to ruin everyth-

"Zuko!" Toph was practically screaming at him.

"Huh? Uh sorry, what were you saying?"

"I've been asking you for like seven years to pass me the food. I may be blind, but I'm sure that you're actually deaf," Toph rolled her eyes once more before taking the bag from Zuko's hands.

Zuko looked over to see Ember Island coming into view. He smiled sadly, knowing that he couldn't appear as the Blue Spirit here. He was curious towards whether Katara would start running around again as the Painted Lady knowing that it could risk her identity.

He wanted soe badly to just tell her, but he knew that would complicate things even further. Zuko had made a promise to himself as soon as he found out that she was Katara that he would never tell her. Being in love with one side of her former enemy would mess with her mind, and she needed to be as focused as she could. Aang still had a lot of training to do, and he couldn't get better unless his teacher was in the zone.

Zuko gave a loud and breathy sigh. He was torturing himself over this, but he could endure. Maybe after the war, he could finally tell her the truth.

Zuko laughed. _As if that wasn't a stupid idea._

* * *

Katara couldn't be happier when they finally landed on Ember Island. She briskly walked (more like ran) to Zuko and politely asked (more like demanded) what room she could use. Zuko led her upstairs and brought her to a door at the end of the hallway.

"You can use this room. It has a big bathroom and bed, and it looks over the ocean," his voice seemed to have some element of _something_ that pained her. She didn't know whether it was confusion, pity, anger, or sadness, but it sounded like he was suffering. However, Katara had her own problems to worry about. Her mind was so wrapped up with the Blue Spirit that she couldn't be bothered with other's dilemmas.

"Thank you Zuko," she said with a hint of kindness. Though she was in an awful mood, she could still recognize that he was trying to be civil. He gave her a simple nod before walking down the stairs to guide the others to their respective rooms.

Katara gave an audible sigh before pushing open the doors to her new room. When she did, a cloud of dust pushed in the air, which made it even more obvious that this room had been unused for years. Once the dust finally cleared, she took in the room in all its detail. The walls were a light blue with gold accents on the rims. There was a gigantic four poster bed that was covered in pillows against the wall, and to the right there was a vintage dresser with all sorts of small items on it. The walls were decorated with different paintings and portraits. She recognized a tiny Zuko in a family portrait of the Royal Family.

There were two paintings of the Royal Family right next to each other, identical in size and frame. One she recognized as the official painting that everyone saw - the family looking stone faced, with positions that could only be seen as regal. However, it was the painting to the right that really intrigued her.

The family looked...happy.

It was quite a strange sight to see. A five year old Azula sat on her father's lap, her hands reaching out to play with Zuko's hair. The smile on her face was filled with genuine joy and love. Her father still looked wary, but he seemed much more relaxed than the painting before. He looked down at his children with a small smirk, as if he was content with and proud of both his children. The mother sat next to Ozai, and strangely, she seemed...disconnected almost. She was also smiling at both her children, yet it was more of a sad smile, a smile that you give before saying goodbye.

 _"The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."_

 _"I'm sorry. That's something we have in common."_

Katara felt a pit drop in her stomach. She and Zuko _did_ have losing their mothers in common, but they were lost in such different reasons. Katara's mother fought to protect her daughter until the end. She sacrificed herself for Katara, choosing to die rather than to give up her daughter. Katara's mother was murdered by a sick, sick man who Katara and Zuko later confronted. She was gone, but Katara had finally gained closure.

Zuko didn't have any of that. From what Katara had gathered, she had just left. No heartbreaking goodbyes or tragic sending offs. No scenes made about her being banished or kidnapped. Just...gone. Katara could understand why she had run; Ozai was a terrible man in every form of the word; but in protecting herself, she abandoned her two children. Zuko was forced to take the blame of every wrong doing and Azula was corrupted into the ruthless killing machine that obeyed every order her father gave her. Their mother had left Zuko and Azula with a monster who turned them against each other. Katara felt shivers run down her spine after pondering what it would be like if Sokka and her were that way. Although Ozai was truly a shit person who doesn't deserve to be called a father, Katara had realized that Zuko's mother had also done a fair share of damage to the family.

Katara forced herself to rip her eyes away from the mother's unsettling smile and instead focused in on Zuko. He\ was laughing; trying to avoid Azula's attempts to grab onto his hair. His eyes sparkled with childlike innocence and his smile radiated pure joy. Katara walked closer towards the painting and reached her hand out to touch his right eye. Trying to imagine Zuko without his scar was so odd that she couldn't fathom it. She had dealt with the fire nation enough times to know that it was a burn mark, but she had always assumed he had gotten into a small accident when he was young or something.

 _"The mark of a banished prince."_

 _What in Tu and La's name did that mean?_

"I should've burned the ones in here too," Zuko's deep vioce rang out through the room and startled her so much that she nearly knocked the painting off the wall. She quickly turned around to face him frowned. He merely looked thoughtful; not showing any remorse or even a look of longing for happier times.

"What do you mean?"

Zuko chuckled. Katara raised her eyebrow, as she didn't understand how the situation was funny. She gave Zuko one of her infamous pointed glares, and he quickly elaborated.

"Sorry. The memory seems so stupid now that it made me laugh," he shook his head again and stared up at the painting. "Azula, Mai, Ty Lee and I were here a short while ago. Azula and I came up here for...I don't really know. Nostalgic purposes I guess? Anyways, we found a bunch of old paintings just like these in storage. Not ones to dwell on the past, we decided to burn the remnants of our happy family. We really were opposed to coming anywhere near Mother's room, so that's why these are still here. That's also the reason it's kind of dusty. Sorry again," He replied.

Katara was sort of awe-struck. Where as she tortured herself every day over her Mother's absence from her life, the Prince and Princess seemed to think of it as just another chapter in their life book. She was sure that Zuko had pushed the hurt and grief off to the side - it's what he had been trained to do. When it came down to it, Katara could truly see why Zuko had such bad anger problems and why Azula had ended up bat-shit crazy. They were both taught to keep everything inside and not let anything out. Katara had some of her own problems because of it. Sokka had turned out very mature about her mother's death, solely because he had learned to accept it.

"Zuko..."

His eyes snapped up to meet hers. La, they were such a piercing gold that it made it hard to talk. His expression had changed drastically from earlier. It looked now like he was pleading with her. Begging her to understand him; hoping for a glimpse of recognition.

"Yes?"

"Well, maybe after the war...I could help you find your mother," the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. He seemed slightly surprised by her sudden offer, but it wasn't like he was disgusted by it. In fact, Katara noticed the look of longing was still there. He seemed slightly disappointed, like he was expecting her to say something else.

"I mean, of course, only if you wanted to. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or force you into something you don't want to do by yourself or-"

"Katara. Calm down. I'd love to do that," his voice had an air of comfort and amusement. Katara felt her cheeks heat up and looked away. He looked so dejected earlier, so she didn't want to force him to accept her offer if he truly didn't want to see her.

"Well...that's settled then. It's only fair, since you helped me get closure."

Zuko merely nodded.

They stood there frozen, just staring at each other for a long time. Not one of them moved a muscle, and they were absorbed into the other's eyes. The warm amber-gold of Zuko's eyes were comforting, yet curious. His features were soft, and she noticed that he had flakes of deep brown lost in his iris' as well. She subconsciously took another step closer to him, and he followed suit.

Suddenly, a loud bang from downstairs followed by a "SHIT!" brought them out of their trance. Just like that, the moment was ruined. Katara averted her gaze quickly and Zuko coughed in a very fake way.

"I um, better see what that's about. I was just checking to make sure everyone was settled in, so I don't need anything right now."

Katara nodded, and walked him out of the room.

"Bye Katara."

"B-bye Zuko."

 _La, what was happening to her?_

* * *

 **so that took a lot longer then expected sorry lol**

 **it's so hard finding time to update this fic; im super busy this whole month so it will probably be a while until the next chapter is posted.**

 **take care friends peace out**

 **ps: .4ever - I really hope they find out soon! However, I really don't know who I want to find out first. There are so many great scenarios for each situation.**

 **-mooody**


	14. Chapter 14

**hello there friends**

 **welcome back to Alter Egos!**

 **here comes chapter 14...yeet**

* * *

Chapter 14

* * *

Zuko's night had certainly started out strange enough. His weird conversation with Katara kept on popping up in his head - it was like his brain loved to remind him about how _awful_ he was at social situations. He had been more then happy to leave the room and head to the beach. Unfortunately, Aang had seen him walking off, and had insisted on bringing the whole gaang. All Zuko had wanted was a peaceful night of solitude in one of his favorite places in the world. Instead, he got a "bonding" time with all his way-too-optimistic buddies.

They were all crammed around a make-shift campfire that Zuko had made when everyone complained of the cold. He had tried (more like begged) to tell them that they should just go back to the house, but they wouldn't listen. He was currently propped up against a rock, next to Toph and Sokka. Sokka had his arm around Suki, who was to the right of him. To the right of Suki was Katara, who was across from Zuko. Next to Katara was Aang, and the circle was completed with Toph to the right of him. Suki and Sokka were of course practically sitting on each other, and Aang was trying a little bit too hard to scooch closer to Katara. Zuko watched the scene with an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. He recognized it as annoyance, but not jealousy. He refused to be jealous of a twelve year old.

Toph seemed to notice his sudden shift in behavior. She raised her eyebrow at him, but he looked away from her. Zuko heard her scoff in annoyance before bending a rock to bump his leg. He turned to look at her with scorn, but was met with a pointed glare from her. Zuko wasn't stupid, and could obviously read her message.

 _We'll talk later._

Obviously, he couldn't be more ecstatic.

Aang was in the middle of giving them a lecture on why he would never touch alcohol and how sobriety kept his body clean when he suddenly paused in the middle of his sentence and stared with a confused look at Katara.

"Katara, where's your necklace?"

Zuko felt his cheeks grow hot and his skin turn pale. This was what he had been worried about from the moment he had recieved the choker. It wasn't that he was worried about them searching through his things and finding it, oh no. Zuko was very confident in his ability to keep things hidden. What he was worried about was that annoying habit of the giver of the gift - she really was a shit liar. Even worse then he was, in fact. She also had her "self righteous" image to keep up, and that image did not include lying to her friends.

Katara's eyes went wide and her hand unconsciously flew to he"r neck. Zuko watched her eyes widen, before relaxing in realization. She avoided looking at Aang when answering with a suspicious "I must have lost it when we were on Appa."

Zuko inwardly cringed. Why did she have to be _such_ a bad liar? Anyone could see how fidgety she was being, but he was praying to Agni that they thought it was from the guilt of losing the necklace, and not the guilt of lying.

Toph frowned when the words left Katara's mouth. Zuko cursed under his breath - the bling girl could spot liars from miles away. Even if Katara was mildly better at lying, there was no way she could train her body to keep her heart rate steady when she lied. Nervously, Zuko felt his own pulse only to find that his heart was beating a rate that was not normal for a resting human being. Again, he swore and tried to calm himself down.

It didn't work. Toph's head snapped over to him.

She narrowed her eyebrows and began to speak. "Sugar Queen, are you sure you lost the thing? Someone might have took it. In fact, I can actually sense the nec- Ow!"

Zuko had nudged her hard in the side before she could say anything more. He mumbled under his breath an apology before glaring at Toph. She sent him back an equally threatening gaze which repeated her earlier message.

Aang rubbed his head, obviously confused by the ordeal. "Uh, Toph, what were you saying?"

Toph shook her head and stared at the ground. "Nevermind, it's just one of Azula's old pieces of jewelry. Forgot I said anything," she finished with a growl.

How ironic that the blind girl is left in the dark in this mystery.

The evening carried on with no further disruptions, and finally Katara ordered them all off to bed. Zuko was glad to oblige, and practically sprinted down the sand. However, Toph made a huge hole and Zuko dropped in.

"What the hell, Toph?"

"You and me, Sparky. It's time we have a nice little chat about recent events and your strange behavior," Toph walked away with a smirk on her face, not even bothering to hide how excited she was that she was finally getting let in on a secret.

Zuko sighed and began to climb his way out of the hole.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

"So Sparky, care to explain?"

Zuko was currently deciding the best way to approach this situation. He knew he couldn't lie to Toph, but maybe there was a small chance that he could continue avoiding the question until she gives it up.

"What are you talking about To-"

"Sparky, I'd advise you not to play stupid unless you want to be buried in the the sand for the whole night," Toph looked at him with a raised eyebrow and an annoying smirk on her face.

 _And they wondered why I was trying to kill them._

Zuko rubbed his head and looked up at her. Toph's lips were shaped into a perfect smirk, knowing that she had Zuko stuck. Honestly, Toph's meddling could rival Azula's. Zuko had a secret theory that if Azula and Toph weren't on different sides of the war, they'd be great friends.

"Fine, Toph. Now get me out of this stupid hole."

Toph's face broke out in a wide grin, finally getting what she wanted. Zuko was finally lifted out of the hole. He thought about running, but didn't want to risk the chance of ending up in another ditch. He was royally fucked.

Zuko sat down on the beach and unconsciously ran his hands in the sand. Toph took this as a cue to come and sit next to him. She looked to him expectantly, obviously waiting for him to start talking.

 _Here goes nothing._

"I'm the Blue Spirit."

* * *

 **oops cliffhanger**

 **Sorry this chapter was so short and took so long to get out; may has been very busy. Updates should be longer and more frequent ;)**

 **remember to review! your guys' reviews give me so much inspiration for writing.** **even suggesting a situation you'd like to see in the fic would help!**

 **\- moody**


	15. Chapter 15

**hello hello**

 **i am starting this chapter literally five minutes after i posted the last lets see how long it takes me to get it up LOL**

* * *

Chapter 15

* * *

Katara needed fresh air.

Well, that wasn't exactly right. She was getting lots of fresh air, being as she was standing on the balcony that connected to Ursa's bedroom. She had the absolutely gorgeous view of the deep navy sea, and the wondrous feeling of the night wind hitting her skin. But still, she felt _trapped._

Katara felt like she was simply waiting for developments to happen, and not actually doing anything herself. They were stuck here until Aang was ready, and he had pretty much already mastered water bending. There was nothing left for her to teach him. Katara also didn't need to be the only one cooking for the group anymore, as Suki was a very capable cook. She hadn't realized how much she had been working when they first started this journey - just her, Sokka, and Aang. Aang and her brother were virtually useless when it came to simple chores, so Katara ended up with having to do everything. But since the group had expanded and brought in two more fully adapt people (ie, Zuko and Suki), her need to do work had greatly diminished.

It wasn't something as vain as her being bored. It was more her being trapped in a space of waiting, without being able to take action. She had felt so _needed_ as the Painted Lady that going back to Katara, the Avatar's friend was just...pathetic, really. She felt so useless in such an important time - the world literally depended on them.

Katara glanced back into her bedroom. Her gaze fell on a plain brown satchel badly hidden near the curtain. Katara had promised herself she wouldn't touch the contents of that bag again - how could she, them being a reminder of what she left behind.

 _Not what. Who._

Katara hadn't even looked at the bag since leaving their former camp. It seemed weirdly unfair to transform now, doing it without her partner.

Katara bit her lip, the chance to escape dangling right in front of her.

She turned away from the bag and ran out of the door.

Katara knew she couldn't return things to what they once were. She couldn't bring back her weeks of bliss no matter how hard she tried. It wouldn't be the same. Back then she was transforming into a noble spirit, one with only a goal of protecting her people. Katara had the strangest feeling that if she tried the costume on now, that it would feel useless. She would simply be a teenage girl dressing up in a costume.

And yet, with all these thoughts, she couldn't bring herself to drag herself down the staircase. She couldn't bring herself to walk away. She knew it wouldn't be the same, but...

Did it really need to be?

Did she need such a selfish reason as a boy to help someone? Was that all that motivated her last time? Was that her only reason for helping others in need? She really hoped that she wasn't as vain as that. Katara had always prided herself on being someone that was compassionate and caring, and always helped out when someone needed help. Maybe, in the splendor of everything with the Blue Spirit, she had lost her real goal.

This wasn't about a boy. This was about her, and her need to help the suffering people of Ember Island.

With a newfound determination, Katara nimbly ran off to her room and shut the door with a slam. She grabbed the satchel with an urgency that hadn't been there before, and poured her paints out before her. She sat down in front of one of Ursa's many dusty mirrors, and began re-inventing what it meant to be the Painted Lady.

* * *

"Wow, _really?_ I'm _so_ surprised," Toph finished off her drawling sentence with a perfectly annoying eye roll.

Zuko's eyes snapped up to see Toph staring out at the ocean, with clear annoyance displayed on her face. That hadn't exactly been the reaction he was expecting.

"I can practically feel the sarcasm dripping off you, Toph."

"Well, I mean, that was kinda obvious for me. You get up at midnight almost every night, sneak out, and then don't come back until early morning. Coincidentally, two vigilantes appear in the village right next to where we were camping. It really wasn't that hard to figure out," Toph shrugged, as if that was supposed to be obvious.

Zuko had always known that if anyone found out, it was going to be Toph. It wasn't that she was the most curious, it was more to do with the fact that she was the most keen on unraveling secrets. Not just anything grasped her interests, but as soon as it had to do with someone in the Gaang, Toph was all over it. Zuko guessed that she would've been pissed if someone had found out before her. She had always been weirdly competitive in that way.

"I'm assuming that if you knew about that, then you also know that Katara-"

"Is the Painted Lady? Yes, I know that full well," she finished for him.

Zuko stood up and brushed the sand off of his pants. "Great. Wonderful. Since you know everything, there's really no point in having this conversation. I'm going to bed." Zuko scoffed and started to walk off. If the girl was good at anything, it was wasting his time.

Toph, in a lightning fast manner, reached out and grabbed his leg, effectively making him fall flat on his face and eat sand.

"What the _hell_ Toph?"

The increasingly annoying earth bender broke out in a fit of laughs. Agni, he was _really_ beginning to hate the girl. She was steadily becoming his least favorite member in the gaang, which was impressive, considering he spent nearly three years of his life trying to find and kill Aang.

"So-sorry Sparky that was just-" Toph bent over laughing even harder. "That was SO FUNNY! You ate shit!" She offered him a hand to get him out of the sand.

Zuko was one minute from turning her into roast beef.

"Anyways, before you started to rudely leave, I was going to ask my most important question," Toph said with a smirk. She was obviously planning something that would most likely annoy him even more.

"Agni, just get the question over with."

Toph broke out in a toothy grin and chuckled.

"So, did you two fuck?"

"Toph, NO! Agni, use your head!" Zuko was an embarrassing shade of red that rivaled his fire.

 _Its not like you haven't thought about it many, many times before._

 _Shut up Zuko. You're stupid._

Toph pouted. "But _how?_ You're both hormonal teenagers who spend prolonged periods of time together! It's physically impossible for it not to have happened!"

Zuko glared at her. If he had been annoyed before, he was over the edge now.

"Toph, drop it. Nothing happened except for a few ki-" Zuko closed his mouth before he could say anything more. Really, it was him getting himself into these stupid positions.

"A few _what_ Sparky?" Toph wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Wanna tell me what happened? Huhhhhh?"

"Nothing happened!"

Toph rolled her eyes. "I hope you know how bad of a liar you are, Sparky."

Zuko glared at the ground. He wasn't just upset at Toph for being annoying. It was him forcing him to relive the memories that he had tried so hard to lock at the back of his mind.

It wasn't that he didn't love her. Because Agni knows, he wanted her _so damn bad._

But he knew they couldn't be together.

Aang would never allow it. After all, Katara was "his", and he had already claimed her for his own. Which to Zuko, was absolutely stupid. Katara was her own person, and she most definitely wasn't an object that someone owned.

Zuko highly doubted Sokka would let them be together either. If he saw Zuko even _touch_ his precious baby sister, Zuko would be dead. Aang had barely gotten approval, but since he was the Avatar and the good-doer in the group, it was understandable for Sokka to let him slide. But someone like _Zuko?_ Zuko was a dark man with a ruined past and a nation of discrimination and hate running in his blood. There was simply no way.

Toph let out a heavy cough, bringing Zuko's attention back to her. She was looking at him blankly, no anger or annoyance for his silence, but an absence of pity as well. Which Zuko was grateful for. He didn't want pity.

"You love her."

It wasn't a question. Toph already knew the answer, she was just probing him to admit it. Zuko bit his lip and brought his gaze up to the horizon. It was peaceful, warming him from the inside even though the wind was brutal on the outside. But Zuko couldn't feel it. His body felt hot and feverish and was ready to let go.

"Yea."

* * *

 **So Katara decided to be badass for herself, and Zuko finally admitted his true feelings. hmmmm things are picking upppppp**

 **please please review! I am shamefully begging you, but it motivates me more then you can ever know! I don't even know if I have any active readers on this lol...hopefully y'all are still there ;(**

 **see you for the next chapter!**

 **-mooody**


	16. Chapter 16

**hi friends**

 **thank you for the reviews! here are some responses**

 **blueandie: wow! thank you so much for reviewing every chapter! you're awesome! thanks for saying what you enjoyed! it put a smile on my face :)**

 **Infinitus Confictura: thanks bud! good to see some returners :)! will keep going at it.**

 **guest: thanks anon! glad to hear it's improved. I cringe when i see stuff i wrote in the beginning lol.**

 **welp lets get into it!**

* * *

Chapter 16

* * *

"Well this just got a lot more interesting."

Toph was indeed right with that statement, seeing as paints were strewn across Katara's room, yet the girl in question was mysteriously gone. The curtain that led to the balcony was thrown open, and the sliding door that separated the room from the balcony was open. Agni, it was like she was _trying_ to get caught. Then again, she hadn't expected anyone to be up this late at night. The rest of the house was sleeping sound.

"So Sparky, are you going after her or not?" Toph wiggled her eyebrows in an extremely annoying fashion. Zuko scoffed and shook his head.

"You know I can't do that. That's basically confirming that it's me. And like we discussed earlier, she _won't_ find out, right Toph?"

Toph rolled her eyes. "Sparky, no need for the threats. I get it. My lips are sealed."

Zuko nodded and walked out of the room, careful to avoid touching her stuff. Instead of following him, Toph walked to the balcony and shut the door. Zuko quickly glared at her.

"She'll know we've been in here. Leave it open."

Toph threw her hands up in the air. "Sparky, you're just as uptight as she is. Calm down. She isn't the most observant. Besides, my room is right next to hers and I don't want the draft coming in," she argued.

Zuko knew Toph wasn't going to give in, so he just prayed that Katara wouldn't realize.

* * *

Katara felt _great._

So far she had cleaned out a family's well, healed seven sick people, and fought off three burglars. It was relieving to know that she was helping out again, that she had a use. Everything was going wonderfully.

And then she saw _him._

He was at the end of the alley that she just entered. He was standing away from her, so she got a great view of the dual swords carried on his back. He had grown a few inches from the last time she saw him.

The mask on his head reflected the moonlight, and brought so many memories back to her. Them running in the night, the talks they had, the kiss...

And at once the nostalgia was gone, and then the confusion set in. How is he here? How is that possible? Did he follow her here? If not, why didn't he tell her that he was coming?

Katara's unanswered questions made her angry. She _hated_ being kept out of secrets (which was ironic because she was keeping the biggest secret of them all), and it made her extremely irate. Meaning, she was currently very upset with her lover-of-sorts. She needed answers, and she needed them _now._ For some reason, she had this aching feeling in her stomach that something was off. That this couldn't be true.

Katara jumped into action and practically ran down the alley. She wasn't even bothering to be stealthy, so her foot steps came out as angry stomps. The Blue Spirit easily heard her, and whipped around in surprise.

He turned towards her, and everything came back to her full circle. She remembered this moment the first time it happened, them meeting, and here they were, reuniting. Everything was exactly like she remembered it, just as magical and wonderful.

"You...you came," her words came out in a whisper, barely audible. But he heard them clear, and reached his hand out to her.

"I did." His voice seemed to be missing the roughness that usually came with it, and it lacked the familiarity that she thought it would hold. Katara frowned at this initial observation, but shook the thoughts away.

Why couldn't she just be satisfied with this moment? This was what she wanted, wasn't it? This scene was the subject of her most treasured dreams, so why couldn't she revel in it?

Katara took his hand with a caution that shouldn't have been there, but it all vanished when he pulled her close. His fingers wrapped around her waist, and she brought her head to rest on his chest. This was something she was familiar with. This was normal.

"I-I don't understand? Why didn't you tell me? Or was this just a rash decis-"

"Relax, my love. I'm here," his voice held a cheeky smugness that it didn't previously have. He was almost acting cocky, yet there was nothing to be cocky about.

 _Katara, what is wrong with you? Why are you assuming the worst in him? He's the same person you've always known. You're overthinking._

Maybe it was her. Her previous thoughts from earlier were trapping her in an endless cycle of wariness. It was an unfamiliar location with a situation she didn't expect to happen. Surely some of this was to blame for her carefulness.

 _Wait._

"How did you get here so fast?"

There was no possible way he should've been able to come. A boat would've never made it this fast, and he definitely did not swim across an ocean. The Blue Spirit she knew was always practical, and never made totally rash decisions. Assuming he lived in the small village they were protecting, he must've given everything up in order to come here. That was something love sick fools did. Not him.

She felt his body tense around her, like she caught him off guard. He tightened around her, pulling her body even closer so he could lean into her ear. She felt the mask brush the ends of her hair, and a chill ran up her spine. She didn't feel so comfortable anymore.

"My my, so many questions. Can't you enjoy this surprise? We'll talk more later." His breath tingled her ear as he whispered into it.

What the hell was that response? That was totally out of character for him. Something had changed him in the short time they hadn't been together, and she wasn't sure she liked the change.

"I want answers. I thought we weren't keeping secrets," Katara pushed him away from her in a sudden outburst of anger.

Did she mention she hated secrets she wasn't in on?

"Agni, woman. A friend had a way of getting me here. Happy?" The cockiness came back ten fold. He sounded like a rich brat who got everything he wanted. Her mind made a weird connection between this Blue Spirit and Zuko pre-Gaang.

Katara felt her face heat up. Her temper spiked up again.

"What happened to you? Why are you being such a brat?"

The Blue Spirit looked down at her and she felt _fear._ She had never noticed how much bigger his frame was then hers, and how easily he could overpower her. What had changed between them to make her feel like this?

Suddenly, he relaxed and brought his hand to the side of his hair.

"I'm sorry, I just...I mean, I really didn't think I would see you again. I thought maybe you came here to get away from...from me." His voice broke slightly at the end of the sentence.

The word broke Katara's air of distrust. The hurt in his voice seemed sincere. La, she hadn't meant to hurt him. She never knew he would take her leaving like that in this way.

"I-I mean, you have to know that that was never it. I lo- I, um, I would never do that to you, you know," she managed to spit out. She mentally slapped herself. Why was she getting all nervous now? He was showing so many more sides to him tonight, and the sensitive part was messing with her brain.

He didn't respond. He looked at the ground, avoided looking up to see her face. It hurt her too, to know that he thought that about her. That was never her intention. Katara would never hurt him on purpose.

She managed a small smile and grabbed his head. His head shot up and he looked at her.

"Come on. We have a lot of work to do."

He nodded and followed after her. She heard his footsteps, heavier then they used to be, but still there.

This was normal.

She could breathe again.

So why did she feel like she was still choking?

* * *

 **heyo lovely readers**

 **anyways, i know some of you will have some questions. here are some answers.**

 **to why Katara was so quick to forgive, i blame her motherly instinct. she cant stand people hurting, and her compassion over-rided the suspicion. She does suspect that something isn't right, but for the sake of her old nostalgia and memories, she's choosing to put her hope first.**

 **hope that helped ;)**

 **remember to keep those reviews coming! felt super inspired after the last batch :)! thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

 **also a future work of mine: im planning on writing a dramione fic for you potterheads ;). look forward to that and let me know if youre for it! theyre currently my otp soooo been feeling inspired lol**

 **ok goodbye**

 **-moody**


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